John Cazale
John Holland Cazale (/kəˈzeɪl/; Italian pronunciation: [kaˈdzaːle]; August 12, 1935 – March 12, 1978) was an American actor. He appeared in five films during his six-year career, each nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture: The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Deer Hunter. He appeared in archival footage in The Godfather Part III, also nominated for Best Picture, making him the only actor to have this multi-film distinction. From his start as an acclaimed theater actor, he became one of Hollywood's premier character actors, starting with his iconic role as the doomed weak minded Fredo Corleone, opposite longtime friend, Al Pacino, in Francis Ford Coppola's film The Godfather and its 1974 sequel. David Germain of the Associated Press wrote that "Cazale broke hearts on screen with portrayals of volatile, vulnerable, vacillating men, including Pacino's tragic bank-robbing partner in Dog Day Afternoon". He was described as an actor "whose intense face is known to just about any serious cinema fan but whose name often escapes them". Cazale chose to continue acting despite being diagnosed with lung cancer. He died in New York City on March 12, 1978, shortly after completing his role in The Deer Hunter. He was 42 years old. Veteran theatre producer Joseph Papp called Cazale "an amazing intellect, an extraordinary person and a fine, dedicated artist". A film documentary tribute to Cazale, I Knew It Was You, was screened at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and featured interviews with Al Pacino, Steve Buscemi, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Gene Hackman, Richard Dreyfuss, Francis Ford Coppola, and Sidney Lumet.